SWANSBORO — A grant award has planted the seed for a community garden coming to Swansboro.

The Swansboro Parks and Recreation Department has been awarded a $3,000 grant from Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina as part of the Nourishing North Carolina initiative.

The Nourishing North Carolina program is a partnership of BCBS and the North Carolina Recreation and Park Association to create or enhance community gardens in all 100 counties.

Swansboro Parks and Recreation Director Brittany Wood said the grant will provide funds to get their garden up and running beginning in the fall.

“This grant will allow us to install our garden so we can provide fresh, local produce for more people in our community and encourage healthy eating habits,” Wood said. “We are proud to be part of the Nourishing North Carolina network. Our garden not only provides healthy food, it also provides a safe area for our neighbors to work together, share a public green space and be physically active through gardening.”

Wood said their plans are for a garden of raised beds to be located near the recreation center at Municipal Park.

An initial 15-member garden team has been established and was needed to show support for the project during the grant application process. Meetings will be held in the fall to provide information and invite participation in the community garden.

A portion of the harvest from Swansboro’s community garden will go to Onslow Community Outreach for its soup kitchen and homeless shelter.

Wood said the grant funds will help in purchasing supplies needed to install and maintain the raised beds, such as materials for the beds, garden hoses, shovels, rakes and seed.

By 2014, Nourishing North Carolina is expected to provide North Carolina communities with 190,000 pounds of produce, which will enhance the nutritional value of 150,000 meals, according to a news release announcing the grant award.

The program was launched in June 2011, and in its first year donated more than two tons of produce to food shelter and rescue organizations across the state.

The community gardens are seen as one way to target serious health issues. According to the news release, nearly two-thirds of adults in North Carolina are overweight or obese due to unhealthy eating and physical inactivity, which is above the national average.

“Communities across North Carolina are embracing this initiative and rolling up their sleeves to help North Carolinians eat better and live healthier lives. This is important work that reaches far beyond the growing season,” said Brad Wilson, BCBSNC president and CEO.

The Swansboro community garden will be the first in the area participating in the Nourishing North Carolina program, according to the program website.